A tourist was left stunned after climbing over a mountain of clothes at a chaotic thrift market – in what viewers have dubbed a “fire hazard” and “cockroach paradise”.
Stuart Kirkwood was on the final day of his two-week trip when he decided to go shopping with a local tour guide.
The 26-year-old engineer, who hails from Sydney, Australia, visited a market known as Chợ Đông Tác – also called Đông Tác Market – in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi.
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The space is known for its excessive offering of second-hand clothing.
The market appeared unassuming from the outside, but inside, Stuart discovered endless corridors lined with racks and piles of garments stacked to the ceiling.
Shoppers sometimes have to scale mounds to find bargain buys.
Stuart’s video has been viewed 3.6 million times.
“It was like crawling through someone’s laundry nightmare,” Stuart told What’s The Jam.
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“My head was almost hitting the ceiling as I navigated the piles of clothes.
“The volume of second-hand clothing was insane.
“I didn’t expect it to go on and on like that.”
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“I bought a denim jacket, a grey t-shirt and two suit jackets.”
Stuart noticed an unpleasant smell but clarified that he didn’t see any vermin or bugs.
Viewers have been quick to share their concerns.
One person wrote: “My mind’s saying skin diseases and a respiratory illness.”
Someone else added: “Just wondering how many cockroaches and rats live there.”
Another person said:” My fire hazard senses are tingling.”
Others were shocked by the sheer amount of clothes.
“Dig deep enough and I had a feeling you’ll find somebody trying clothes inside,” said one person.
Someone else added: “This is why fast fashion needs to stop.”
Stuart agreed that the market probably wasn’t the most hygienic spot, but found the experience fascinating rather than off-putting.
He visited the market on 4 March but shared the video online on 13 July.
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